Often when people think about physiotherapy, they have images of someone struggling out of a wheelchair to learn to walk again, or learning how to move after a severe accident, injury or illness. However, you don’t have to be severely debilitated to benefit from physiotherapy. If you have physical pain or discomfort, then these could be good indicators that some therapy could benefit you enormously.

Sometimes people play down their physical ailments or even learn to live with chronic pain and discomfort. The body is miraculous at compensating for weaknesses, and before you know it, you have either adapted or got used to a physical setback. While there’s no reason to seek out the services of a physiotherapist for every ache and pain, you don’t have to be unable to move at all to reap the benefits of some of the right type of muscle manipulation and focus that physiotherapy brings.

Here are ‘7 signs you may need physiotherapy’, and if you relate to even just one, you might want to consider how you can help your body heal in the right way and become strong:

1. Balance and coordination – Physiotherapy can retrain your body to move without falling over. Disequilibrium can be caused by a multitude of underlying issues, and whilst you may want to work out what the root of the problem is, you might want to challenge the effects and symptoms too. Unless you tackle this issue, you may be more vulnerable to falls and mishaps in the future.
2. Pain won’t go away – If you are suffering from back or neck pain, and perhaps have strains and sprains, or muscle imbalances caused by core muscle weakness, then there’s no reason to suffer in silence. Often pain can come and go, and it is because of this intermittent nature that people often keep quiet and just put up with it. Physiotherapy specifically targets pain and this, along with increasing mobility, is the cornerstone of what this type of therapy aims to accomplish.
3. Flare up problems – Do you have an old injury that just won’t seem to heal or completely go away? Do you find that you are okay for a while but then certain activities or even environments can really cause symptoms to rear up again? If you didn’t deal with an injury when it was fresh, then it can take much longer to heal, and sometimes that part of you will never be the same again. However, physiotherapy is designed to address not only recent physical problems, but ones that have built up over time and nag at the body.
4. Mobility issues – It can be amazing just how much one simple injury can affect your whole body. If you’ve ever had a fracture then you’ll know exactly what it feels like to have a part of your body that you really rely on not function in the way that it should. While it is all too easy to accept that you now have a funny knee and hobble a bit when walking, perhaps because of an old sport injury, for example, there’s no reason to accept restrictive or even painful movement for years to come.
5. Pain in other areas – Sometimes the point of injury is not the point of pain. You might have initially impacted or had some weakness in one part of your body, only to find that a different part of you suffers, or becomes susceptible to pain and lack of mobility. If you have pain in your body but can’t attribute it to a specific incident or accident, could it be related to another part of you that was injured?
6. Neurological problems – People who have suffered a stroke quite often need extensive physiotherapy, to learn mobility skills – sometimes all over again. Become aware of your body and how each bit of you is interconnected. If problems of a neurological nature have played a part in your life, then it may be time to reassess if and how this has impacted you and what you can do about it.
7. Disturbed sleep – If you have chronic lower back pain then you’ll know that insomnia can be a result of that discomfort. Sleep patterns are a good indicator of what is going on inside your body. If you have problems getting to sleep, suffer from fitful nights, or simply don’t feel fully rested when you wake up, one cause could be pain and mobility problems. Sleep is a good indicator of your physical state.

Do you want to find out more about what physiotherapy can do for you? You don’t need to be in bad physical shape to benefit from this kind of therapy, and addressing issues and seeking help shows real strength.